© AFP
Fairtrade Luxembourg saw a remarkable 34% increase in turnover in 2023, with Luxembourgers spending an average of €79 on Fairtrade-labelled products, positioning the country as one of the world's top consumers of ethical goods.
Fair trade has grown substantially in 2023, the president of Fairtrade Luxembourg, Jean-Louis Zeien, told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. According to the NGO, turnover has increased by 34%, making Luxembourg one of the best consumers of Fairtrade products in Europe.
Luxembourgers in 2023 on average spent €79 on Fairtrade-labelled products, €19 more than in 2022. This is partly due to the growing number of Fairtrade-labelled products in the Grand Duchy, now over 5,000, out of which 400 are Luxembourg brands. Zeien, expressed his satisfaction at these developments, explaining that individual supply chains helped champion Fairtrade growth, resulting in one of the highest annual per capita consumption rates, "not just in Europe, but also worldwide".
In addition to the popular Fairtrade-labelled bananas, sugar, and tea, recently the roses and cashew nuts have generated the most sales. Officials further praised municipalities and schools as important partners. and presented their latest project, titled 'ONLY', a campaign against the use of pesticides in bananas.
The organisation also wants to debunk the assumption that imported goods from non-EU countries are necessarily more harmful to the environment than those from Europe. According to one study in particular, which officials highlighted at the press conference, Fairtrade roses from Kenya produce almost 66% fewer emissions than those from the Netherlands.
